


Personal Space

by SavageDarling



Series: Mildred's Middle Name is Trouble [6]
Category: The Worst Witch (TV 2017), The Worst Witch - All Media Types
Genre: F/F, I love my useless lesbians
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-26
Updated: 2018-11-26
Packaged: 2019-08-29 13:56:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16745278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SavageDarling/pseuds/SavageDarling
Summary: After the events of Moms of the Year and Mildred and Mistletoe Felicity, Mildred, and Ethel all have things they need to work through together. Felicity has a conversation with Ms. Hardbroom courtesy of Ms. Pentangle telling her she should take an interest in the emotional well being of her students.





	Personal Space

**Author's Note:**

> Man it has been awhile since I updated this series but trust me there will be more coming at some point!

Felicity doesn’t know how to not be herself, doesn’t know how to be anything but touchy feely. It’s the way her parents had always been with her. There were hugs before long flights, kisses before bed, and holding hands as they walked down cobblestone streets. She loved freely and openly and she’d never felt sorry for that. Not even for one moment. At least, not until she’d hurt Mildred. She couldn’t believe she’d done that, that she’d hurt Mildred. 

She thinks about it, writes a thousand and one maglet messages and erases every single one of them. She’s ready to fix this thing with Mildred and then Ms. Hardbroom finds her. She tries to hide the maglet and the fact that she’s immensely worried. Ms. Hardbroom sees right through it.

“Ms. Hardbroom,” Felicity exclaims.

“Ms. Foxglove, I see you’re working diligently on studying for your next potions exam,” Ms. Hardbroom drawls out in response.

Felicity scrambles out of her seat and goes to leave, “I’ll get right on that!”

Ms. Hardbroom blocks her from exiting the small area and says, “I do wish to explain something to you before you go. Your apology to Mildred Hubble is not enough.” 

Felicity tilts her head. “What?” She asks. 

Ms. Hardbroom flexes her hands and straightens her neck. “Ms. Pentangle has informed me that I should be taking an interest in making sure you girls are alright… emotionally.” She drawls strangely on the end of the word and Felicity looks rightfully confused. 

“I’m sorry Ms. Hardbroom,” Felicity starts, “I must say that I am absolutely confused.” 

“You see Felicity Foxglove people have an area of personal space. Just because yours is nonexistent doesn’t mean others are the same. Not everyone is as open as you are,” Ms. Hardbroom turns her lips down as she speaks, distaste evident on her lips. 

“I’m sorry Ms. Hardbroom,” Felicity mumbled as she tucked her hands behind her back. 

“I’m not looking for an apology.” The words fell from Ms. Hardbroom’s mouth like molasses. “I’m simply looking for you to understand why you must change your ways.”

“I don’t understand why Ethel can’t change her ways too,” Felicity let the words fall from her mouth before she could catch them.

Her eyes went wide as Ms. Hardbroom arched an eyebrow. “Do you not think that the Ethel you know now is different from the Ethel you met four years ago? That does not mean she is perfect, but it does not mean you are perfect either.” 

“I can’t seem to find the right words to say to anyone lately,” Felicity sighed. 

“You are looking for a quick fix Felicity Foxglove,” Ms. Hardbroom said the words slowly. “I am afraid you will not find one. A simple apology is not the route to go. Understanding and accepting boundaries however, that is what you must do if you wish to right this wrong.” 

A light bulb went off in Felicity’s head then. Her brain was suddenly very sure of what she was going to do next. “You’re right Ms. Hardbroom. I need to respect boundaries. But an apology to Ethel rather than Mildred might also be a big help.”

Before Ms. Hardbroom could respond and explain why that was such an awful idea, Felicity was running off to go find Ethel. She closed her eyes and sighed, transferring herself back to her room. She did not flinch when Pippa turned around expectantly on her couch. “I’ve been waiting forever for you Hiccup!”

Pippa pulled on Hecate’s hand and brought her to sit on the couch. She pressed a kiss to her lips and ran her hands over a firm jaw line. Hecate allowed her shoulders to relax a bit before saying, “Because of you I might be the death of Felicity Foxglove.”

“What?” Pippa breathed the question before pulling back and repeating herself. “Wait what?” 

“I took your advice,” she starts, “and checked on the emotional well being of my students. I meant to convince Felicity that an apology of any kind was not the thing to fix the mistletoe incident. However, she simply changed her original plan slightly from apologizing to Mildred to apologizing to Ethel.” 

Pippa giggled. “Your first attempt at checking on your students emotional well being and you went with Felicity Foxglove? That’s a bold choice Hecate. And please don’t think you’ve destroyed her. Ethel Hallow is very capable of not killing students. She’s done so up until this point,” the eye roll, which Pippa did not do, was still evident in her voice. 

“I cannot fathom how you care so much about your students and their emotional state,” Hecate sighed.

Pippa arranged herself so that her head rested in the crook of Hecate’s neck and shoulder. “Don’t pretend you don’t care very deeply for your students Hiccup,” Pippa sighed. “We both know that you’d be lying.” 

“I guess you’re right Pipsqueak.” Hecate’s hands shifted as she spoke. 

“Do you wish to speak anymore on the topic,” Pippa asked as she pulled away slightly.

Hecate simply shook her head and said, “No.” 

“Good,” Pippa responded, “Because I’ve got plans that don’t involve us talking about any children.” 

Hecate did not ask any more questions or say anything more as Pippa’s thumb brushed against her cheek and pulled her into another kiss. 

Ethel’s Room at the same time

“So for the winter holidays?” Mildred questioned. She shifted her arm against Ethel’s waist and pulled at a loose string on the dress. 

Ethel sighed. “I told you. I’ll be staying at Ms. Hardbroom and Ms. Pentangle’s cottage. Father will bring Esme and Sybil to come visit me.” 

“I’m allowed to be upset and worried about you,” Mildred grumbled.

Ethel ran her hand over one of Mildred’s braids. “There’s a first time for everything.” Had Ethel not been smiling, which she did a lot more recently, Mildred might have taken the words much more harshly. 

“So you don’t regret it? You aren’t angry with me?” Mildred asked the question with guilt dripping from her voice.

Ethel rolled her eyes and looked down at Mildred. “If you weren’t so bloody cute I’d tell you to shut up half the time, you know that right?” Ethel raised an eyebrow at Mildred. Mildred giggled and pressed her face into Ethel’s shoulder. 

“I’ll take that as a no, you don’t regret it and a yes, you’re always angry with me,” Mildred said the words through fits of laughter with Ethel smiling down at her.

“Precisely. I’m always mad at you. Especially about certain things,” Ethel punctuated her words harshly in the second sentence.

The effect was not lost on Mildred. “Do you want me to apologize again? Cause I’ll do it. It was just a stupid kiss Ethel. A very, very stupid kiss Ethel and I’m sorry.” 

Ethel let out a short laugh and said, “I don’t need you to apologize Mildred. As long as it never happens again and I never see Felicity’s face again I’ll be just fine.”

“You can’t be serious Ethel. You’ve got to see Felicity again. We’re in class together.” Mildred let a smile graze her lips as she let her fingers rest a moment form playing with Ethel’s dress. 

“I don’t care,” Ethel mumbled. 

Mildred furrowed her eyebrows, “Now didn’t we talk about this?”

“No,” Ethel replied before sighing and saying “Yes, we talked about it.” 

Just then a knock came at the door. Mildred, out of habit, jumped off the bed and away from Ethel. 

Ethel blinked a few times before sitting up on her bed and saying, “Come in.”

When Felicity Foxglove walked through the door, with an apology and a smile on her lips, she was not prepared for what met her. Ethel, who was adamant on never seeing Felicity again, was livid. And Mildred, well Mildred just wanted everyone to come out of this alive. 

“You kiss my girlfriend ever again and I swear I’ll turn you into the ugliest rat that ever lived and then I’ll drop you in halls and let the cats have you.” Ethel was seething at this point and Mildred placed a hand on her arm to calm her. 

“No murder Ethel, we talked about that,” Mildred whispered.

Felicity’s eyes went wide as she stared and let out a choked, “I just came to apologize to you Ethel and say that I didn’t mean to upset you or try and steal your girlfriend and I’m sorry if I crossed anyone’s personal bubble and I see now that I might have some boundary issues that I need to work on.” The words flew out of her mouth rather quickly and with no time for air in between fragmented sentences. She took a long breath, slowed down, and said, “What I’m trying to say Ethel is I’m sorry and I hope you can forgive me and we can be friends again.” 

Ethel blinked and opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out. Mildred was prepared for many things, even this. But even with how prepared she is she can’t quite believe Ethel’s response. “We’re friends?”

Felicity went to take a couple steps forward, before reminding herself that people had boundaries much bigger than her own. “Of course Ethel, we’ve been in school together for four years now. You’re one of my best friends.”

Mildred smiled and Ethel straightened up, similar to the way Ms. Hardbroom did when someone brewed an adequate potion. Ethel threw a hand forward. Mildred and Felicity both jumped at the movement. “It’s an olive branch.”

“What?” Felicity questioned.

Ethel rolled her eyes and sighed. “If you ever kiss Mildred again I will still hurt you, but we’re friends. I’m extending an olive branch to you Felicity.” When Felicity did not immediately respond Ethel tried again. “I’m offering you a hand shake Felicity.”

Felicity reached forward and tried not to let her happiness show. She failed, extremely failed. When Felicity left moments later, after an awkwardly long handshake and a hug between her and Mildred, Mildred could not stop smiling. 

Her hand wrapped around Ethel’s waist and pulled her into a hug. “You like her,” Mildred whispered against Ethel’s shoulder.

Ethel rolled her eyes and said, “No, you like her and I like you. That does not correlate to me liking her.” Ethel rested her hands against the top of Mildred’s shoulders. 

“You like me,” Mildred said, giggling. 

Ethel pulled back and arched an eyebrow. “Are you serious Mildred? We’re literally dating.” 

When Mildred did not stop laughing Ethel walked away from her and out of her room. “Wait Ethel, wait.” Mildred called after her. 

Ethel turned around and sighed, “What?” 

“That’s embarrassing,” Mildred said, her face trying to stay serious.

Ethel slammed the door behind her and Mildred fell onto the bed laughing.


End file.
